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Sul Ross football's Wright resigns, cites family needs Staff and wire reportsSul Ross State University head football coach Steve Wright, who says family comes first, announced his resignation last week. The resignation will take effect Jan. 15. Wright's wife, Anita, who had been employed at Sul Ross until a year ago, is a college administrator and teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Their younger daughter attends high school in Wisconsin; the older daughter is a freshman at Stanford. Wright said commuter family life had taken a toll on him mentally and emotionally. "Getting our family back together was the reason for this decision. My family needs me fulltime right now." Wright added, though, that he and his wife love Alpine. "We're keeping our house [in Alpine]," he said. "Anita said she'd like to come back here someday, and I certainly would. We love this place." Wright leaves a solid Sul Ross program for the next football coach. He inherited a program that had fallen to the bottom of Division III. And the futility seemed to be continuing during his first two years. However, in 2004, the Lobos began the climb back to respectability. And in 2006-07, Wright, his staff and his players put together the first back-to-back non-losing seasons at Sul Ross since 1984-85. Recruiting is up and enthusiasm has returned to Jackson Field, where crowds of 3,000 were rocking by the end of 2007. Wright said that he intends to spend more time with family and that a point of change in coaching for the Lobo football program was needed. "There comes a time, especially in this profession, that if you honestly look at your individual production, that leadership of a program needs tweaking," Wright said. "I have determined that a new head coach is best for the student-athletes and is probably the best route for me and my family." "I appreciate the dedication and work Coach Wright has brought to the football program at Sul Ross," university President Vic Morgan said after Wright's resignation. "His approach to academics, discipline and his overall outreach to the players and their families was instrumental to these young men's development not just as athletes but as college students." Morgan said that a search for a new football coach will be advertised on the national market. "We will draft a position announcement and form a committee which will involve our director of athletics, other administrators, selected members of the student-athletic body, our faculty athletics representative and various other members of the university community, then conduct a nationwide search," Morgan said. "We will interview and hire a coach hopefully in the early part of the spring semester." Wright, who spent six years as head coach at Mississippi Gulf Coast College in Perkinston, Miss., joined the Sul Ross faculty in March 2002. He grew up on the Carson-Newman College campus (Jefferson City, Tenn.) where his grandfather served as president. Wright received his bachelor's degree from Maryville College in 1978 and master's degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1979. He is a lecturer in physical education. He also coached at Carson-Newman, the Univer-sity of Richmond (Va.), the University of Texas-El Paso, Navarro Junior College in Corsicana and Jones County Junior College (Ellisville, Miss.). "It is with great emotion that I would like to thank the administration, faculty, staff, the students and the Sul Ross and Alpine communities for their support," Wright said. "It has been a great ride, and I am indebted to Sul Ross for giving me this opportunity." Action needed soon to lessen passport effect on the river Brewster County and tourism officials agree they must act now to mitigate the impact that pending passport rules will have on tourism, related revenue and good old West Texas hospitality. New passport rules that will take effect next month have resulted in a large increase in the number of passports processed by acceptance facilities in West Texas. Sul Ross football's Wright resigns, cites family needs Sul Ross State University head football coach Steve Wright, who says family comes first, announced his resignation last week. The resignation will take effect Jan. 15. Special to the Avalanche The Republican and Democratic party chairmen have announced the following filings for election in the Brewster County primaries: Alpine City Councilman Avinash Rangra is not up for re-election in 2008. His term continues through 2009. Alpine band students among selections for region honors Special to the Avalanche Alpine students training for UIL Special to the Avalanche Christmas Bird Count is Saturday Special to the Avalanche Brewster County sheriff's blotter Inclusion in this report does not imply a person is guilty of a crime. The following persons were arrested in Alpine during the period Dec. 3-9. Appearance in this listing means that subjects have been charged with the listed offense. Inclusion in this report does not imply the person is guilty of any crime. |
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